


A Better Life

by TessaGray9



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:36:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27148133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TessaGray9/pseuds/TessaGray9
Summary: What if the Potters had known that Peter Pettigrew was going to betray them? What if Voldemort had been caught before he could hurt the Potter family? What if James and Lily had never died? What if Harry got to live the life that he deserved? A life that every innocent child deserved. A better life.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Kudos: 5





	1. A traitor

**October 30, 1981**

James saw Lily standing by the kitchen counter and hugged her from behind. "Harry's finally asleep?", she asked.

James sighed. "Yes. Finally. I just put him in his crib. He just refuses to sleep! Sometimes I feel like he does this on purpose to keep us apart", he said with a pout.

Lily softly laughed and turned around. "He's one year old, James. Trust me, he isn't plotting against us", she said and hugged him. She stayed silent for a moment, then said, "I need to tell you something. Something important."

James pulled back a little and looked at her. "What's wrong? Are you okay?", he asked, concerned by the way she was speaking.

"Yes. I am fine. Nothing is wrong. It's just that I...", she started saying, but was cut off by Sirius entering their house and calling out for them.

"James? Lily?", he said frantically. He looked scared. When James and Lily entered the living room, he sighed with relief. "Oh, thank god, you're okay. I thought I was too late", he said and panted.

"Late? For what? What happened, Sirius? Where were you?", James asked. Lily passed him a glass of water. They waited for him to cool down and explain.

"We were about to make a huge mistake. It's Peter. He is a traitor", Sirius said.

"What are you talking about, Sirius? How could Peter be a traitor?", asked Lily.

"It's hard to believe, I know. It's just that, lately Peter has not been around a lot. He often goes off to do some 'work'. Never explains. Never tells us anything. I've kind of been suspicious of him for a while now. I didn't say anything before because I didn't know anything for sure. Earlier today, he told me that he had to do some 'work'. I just wanted to make sure everything was safe, so I decided to follow him. And I saw him with Death Eaters", he finally stopped and took a breath.

"Are you sure they were Death Eaters?", James asked, not wanting to believe that his friend was a traitor.

"Yes, James. It wasn't just any Death Eaters. It was Malfoy and a few others. Voldemort's closest. I moved closer to them so that I could hear what they were saying. He told them that you were going to make him your Secret Keeper. He told them that he would tell them your location whenever The Dark Lord asked him to. And then he asked them if he could finally get his Dark Mark. They said that The Dark Lord would be very happy to hear this news and would surely accept him as one of his Death Eaters", he explained.

"Oh, my God! I never expected Peter to be a Death Eater. He was always so nice and polite. What now? They would be coming here any minute", said Lily, shocked by the news.

"No. They're coming tomorrow. Voldemort wants to catch you off guard. He wants you to feel safe and protected. He wants to see the surprise and fear on your face, when he kills you. He wants you to feel betrayed by your best friend. That's why they haven't given Peter his Dark Mark yet. They don't want you to suspect anything. I'm so sorry, James. I know how much this is hurting you. I don't know what to do. I feel so stupid for suggesting you to make him your Secret Keeper", said Sirius. He blamed himself for letting them down.

"It's not your fault, Sirius. You did what you thought was right. And you're in danger just as much as we are. No one even knows that Peter is going to be our Secret Keeper. Everyone thinks it's you. If anything happens to us, you would be the one they blame. We have to do something", said James.

"We have to tell Dumbledore. He may be able to help us. We have to trust him", said Lily.

"You're right. He's the only one who can help us now. I'll meet him and ask him to come here", Sirius said and disapparated.

A few minutes later, he came back with Dumbledore, who was very confused about what was happening and why he had been called here. They all sat in the living room and Sirius explained everything to Dumbledore. He sat silently for a while, deep in thoughts, and then said, "I understand why you felt the need to change your Secret Keeper. Sirius _was_ the most obvious choice. I just wish you had talked to me first. But alas, it was meant to be. And it helped us more than you realize. You see, for the first time in years, we actually know where Voldemort is going to be. We could use that information to capture him."

"So, you want to use us as a bait to capture Voldemort? You want me to voluntarily put my wife and my child in harm?", asked James, angrily. He knew that this whole thing was much more than just him and his family. But no way in hell would he ever put them in danger.

"Oh, don't worry about that James. I'll make sure they are safe. I know exactly where they can remain safe. You are an Auror, I would suggest you to fight with us. But you have all the right to deny. I promise that I would never let your family get hurt. But this may be our only chance at stopping Voldemort. You have to agree, for the sake of all the Wizarding World", Dumbledore tried to convince him.

James couldn't make this decision all by himself, on one hand was his family's safety, and on the other hand was the future of the whole world. He looked at Lily for her opinion. "We have to do this, James. I don't want Harry to grow up in a world where Voldemort is ruling. If we have even a little bit of chance of stopping him, we have to take it. And besides, Dumbledore has promised to keep us safe. Like I said before, we have to trust him", Lily said. They looked into each other's eyes and had a silent conversation. She finally convinced him. He too, did not want Harry to grow up in a world with Voldemort in it.

"Fine. What's the plan?", asked James.

Dumbledore knew Lily would convince James. They were true Gryffindors after all. He smiled softly and said, "For now, we pretend that everything is okay. In the evening you'll call Peter over and make him your Secret Keeper. Then he will be the only one who can tell your location to anyone. You ask him to write your location down on a piece of paper. Say you want it in case of emergency. Then he'll believe that he fooled you. He'll go off to the Death Eaters and tell them they have won. Then tomorrow night, before Voldemort comes here, we'll have a team of Aurors come here and hide. Then we'll just wait for Voldemort to walk into the house and get caught."

"What about Lily and Harry?", asked James.

"Oh, yes. I myself will come here tomorrow morning and escort them to Hogwarts. They will be quite safe over there", explained Dumbledore.

"No. We're not going anywhere. We stay here", interjected Lily.

"Lily, no! You promised to stay safe. That's the only reason I agreed to this. I can't risk you getting hurt. Think of Harry! Do you really want to put him in such a danger?", said James, getting angry at Lily.

"You think I don't care about Harry? I do want him to be safe, but more than that I want him to grow up in a safe world. This plan is not going to work if we get out of here. Voldemort is not stupid. He will know that we left. I trust you. I know you'll never let us get hurt. And in case something does go wrong, I would rather die here with you than live without you", argued Lily.

"And let Harry become an orphan? Leave him without any parents?", James asked, trying to convince her.

"Then don't mess up. Catch him before he hurts any of us", she replied stubbornly.

James asked, "you won't listen, would you?". She shook her head at that. He sighed and continued, "Fine. You stay here. I promise to not mess up. Voldemort is going to get caught tomorrow."

"Great! Now that everything is settled, I should leave. I'll come back tomorrow. James and Sirius will already be here, of course. I'll bring a few more of my trusted people. After tomorrow, everything is going to be fine", saying this Dumbledore disapparated. He knew that the plan wouldn't work if Lily and Harry weren't here. But he also knew that Lily was smart enough to know that. James was brave, but he did stupid things to protect the people he loved. Lily on the other hand, was intelligent enough to know what was the right thing to do. And stubborn enough to make James do what he had to do.


	2. Voldemort's Defeat

31 October, 1981

Harry was sitting in his crib and playing with his toys. Lily was standing besides him and looking at him admiringly. This was a very important day in all of their lives. This might be the last time she got to see her baby. James came into the room and stood besides her. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with his family. Lily put her head on James' shoulder and they silently stood there admiring their son.

A few minutes later they heard someone coming in through the front door. Sirius came into the room saw them and went out without saying anything. He wanted to give them their privacy. Yesterday they had asked Peter to come here and had performed the Fidelius Charm. Now he was their Secret Keeper. As decided, Peter had written their location on a piece of paper and had given it to Sirius. Sirius had then passed it on to Dumbledore. So now Sirius, Dumbledore and anyone else that Dumbledore needed could enter the house without any problem.

James knew that he only had a few minutes until everyone else came there. He said, "Lily? I wish I didn't have to put Harry and you in danger like this."

"And I wish Voldemort never existed", Lily replied. James smiled at that. No matter what the situation was, Lily could always find a way to make him smile. "But our wishes won't change anything. Don't worry, after today everything is going to be fine."

James turned her towards him and said, "I love you". This could be the last time he spoke to her. He had to say that.

"I love you", Lily said. She knew exactly what was going through his mind. They gazed at each other for a moment, silently reassuring the other that everything will be okay.

"I wuw you", Harry said in his cute baby voice. This pulled James and Lily out of their sad conversation, and they laughed.

"We love you too, Harry", James said with a huge smile on his face. Just then Dumbledore came in through the fire place. And after him came his brother, Aberforth, his friends, Elphias Doge and Alastair Moody. James kissed Lily on her forehead and then they both headed out to discuss their plan.

Their plan was simple. James was supposed to sit in the living room and wait for Voldemort to show up. Sirius and Moody would hide around there and come out to attack Voldemort once he was completely inside the house and was confident about his plan. Then the three of them would attack him together. This would slow him down enough for Dumbledore to come in and use the body-binding spell on him. Aberforth and Elphias would stay with Lily and Harry in his nursery. If things got too far and Voldemort somehow managed to get closer to Harry, they would do their best to stop him.

* * *

As soon as Peter left the Potter's house, he went to Voldemort and told him their location. Voldemort was very happy with him and finally gave him the Dark Mark. Since that moment, Voldemort had made sure that someone would constantly watch over the house. There had been no movements till the next afternoon, when Sirius had come there.

Voldemort wanted to catch the Potters by surprise. He wanted to attack when they were alone. But Sirius was just another obstacle. Voldemort didn't mind killing as many people as he needed to make sure he was unbeatable. He had to kill the baby before it was too late. He decided to take Lucius Malfoy with him.

Voldemort went to the Potters house and blasted the door open. He walked in, followed by Malfoy, and saw James Potter sitting in a chair. James quickly got up, pointed his wand at Voldemort and said, "You?! How did you come here? You shouldn't have known our location!"

Voldemort laughed cruelly and said, "If only you had loyal friends. Your friend, Peter, gave me your location. Now no one can stop me from killing that stupid child of yours." He pointed his wand at James and was about to kill him when two men burst into the room, pointing their wands at him and Malfoy.

Sirius fought with Malfoy. It was an equal fight. They both were equally strong and were proper matches for each other. On the other hand, Voldemort was too strong for both James and Moody, together. They were doing their best to slow him down. They kept casting stunning and disarming charms at him and he kept deflecting them. It was like he was playing with them.

Voldemort was surprised to know that they had already known of his plan. He didn't like being surprised. Now he wanted James to suffer. He wanted to kill his wife and his son in front of his eyes, and see the pain in his eyes. For that, he had to keep James alive for now. Deflecting their stupid curses was quite easy for him. He laughed loudly and said, "Is this the best your ministry could do? Three young Aurors! That's it?!"

He was bored now and wanted to end it. He quickly stupefied Moody and cast a Cruciatus curse at James. He fell down on his knees and shrieked in pain. But someone stupefied him from behind. He turned around to see Dumbledore. He gave him a maniac smile and said, "Ah! Dumbledore, my old friend. I should have known that you were behind this." And then they both started duelling.

Sirius had already disarmed Malfoy and had casted a full body-binding curse on him. He ran towards James, who was still on the floor, recovering from the Crutiatus curse. Moody pulled Malfoy into the fire place and sent him to the Ministry. They all stood on the side and watched Voldemort and Dumbledore duelling. If anyone could take Voldemort down, it was Dumbledore. They were equal matches.

They kept casting various curses at each other, and deflecting them. In the end, Voldemort managed to push Dumbledore away with an Impedimenta spell and stunned him with a Stupefy spell. He quickly disarmed the others, who were too stunned to do anything. He was very angry now. He just wanted to kill Harry and get out of there. He moved towards Harry's nursery, but was stopped at the door by Aberforth and Elphias. He yelled in frustration.

" Avada Kedavra!", he shouted, pointing his wand towards Aberforth. He dropped dead. "No one can stop me! No one!", he yelled. He looked at Lily, who was standing there, with crying Harry in her arms. He fixed his eyes on Harry and said, "Tonight, you die."

James had promised Lily that he wouldn't let them get hurt. And he intended on keeping his promise. He looked around and saw Dumbledore's wand lying close to him. He quickly picked it up and pointed it at Voldemort. Voldemort was so focused on Harry, that he didn't notice James pointing a wand at him. "Not as long as I am alive", James whispered and yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!".

Voldemort was frozen in place with the body-binding spell. Elphias Doge quickly snatched his wand out of his hand. Sirius transfigured a piece of cloth into thick iron chains and started binding Voldemort with it. Moody helped him. Dumbledore was still in shock at being defeated in a duel and watching his brother die. He silently went over to Aberforth's body and closed his eyes.

James slowly got up from the floor and walked towards Lily and Harry. Harry was still crying and Lily was trying to comfort him. "I did it Lily. I stopped him", he said and panted.

"Yes. Yes, you did", Lily said with tears in her eyes. Tears of joy and relief. She had almost lost her husband and her child. All she wanted to do was hug them and cry. James took Harry out of her arms and hugged her. As soon as James picked Harry up, he stopped crying. He felt safe in his father's arms. Safe from the rest of the world. They stayed like that for a while.

Sirius saw the Potters in the nursery and smiled. He was happy for them. He was relieved to see that after all they had to go through, they always managed to stay happy. He gave them a minute and then approached them. Harry saw him approaching, waved at him and said, "Sirius!".

James and Lily turned around and smiled at him. He took Harry's hand and said, "Hey, little guy. I have to do some work, okay? But don't worry, I'll be back in the evening." He looked at James, who smiled at him and nodded.

"And when he comes back, we're going to call Uncle Remus and have a little celebration", Lily said and looked at Sirius.

"Actually, I'll bring him with me", Sirius said and went out into the living room. He and Moody were taking Voldemort to Azkaban.

After Sirius left, Dumbledore went up to the Potters and said, "I have to take care of a few things. You will have to give your statement to the Ministry about everything that happened here tonight. I'll see you then." He then disapparated along with his brother's body.

* * *

James and Lily spent the next few hours preparing for their celebration in the evening. They made food, got drinks and put on some music. Sirius came back soon, along with Remus, who had no idea what they were celebrating. Voldemort's capture was not revealed to the Wizarding World yet. The Ministry wanted to wait till the next day to reveal the big news.

They told him everything that had happened since yesterday. Their plan to change the Secret Keeper, Peter being a traitor, their plan and Voldemort's defeat. He was happy to know that Voldemort was finally stopped, but he was also disappointed to know that they didn't trust him enough to make him a part of this plan. "So, you just trusted Peter more than you trust me? What, because I'm a werewolf? I thought you were my friends. You understood me", he said with sadness in his eyes.

"Remus, no. You have to believe us. We trust you. But it would have been too easy for Voldemort to get information out of you. He has werewolf spies. And like Sirius, you too were an obvious choice. We thought that no one would ever suspect Peter. That no one would ever get to him, you know?", explained James.

"I asked them to make Peter their Secret Keeper. I'm the only one who is to blame. Even today I asked Dumbledore if I could call you, but he said he didn't want to take any chances. I'm sorry Remus, I should have trusted you more. I should have just called you without asking Dumbledore. It was very stupid of me", said Sirius. He really did regret all of the bad decisions he had made in the past few days.

"I don't expect you to involve me in all of this. I understand that me being a werewolf makes things hard, I just want you guys to tell me stuff. Just let me know what you guys are up to. You are the only family I have. If you leave me out, I'm all alone", Remus said.

"We are really very sorry, Remus. But we promise to never leave you out again. From now onwards, we will always tell you everything", Lily said and smiled at him.

"Well, then all is good", Remus said and smiled. They all hugged each other. It was perfect. They were all together and safe. After a long time, they didn't need to worry about Voldemort or anyone else. The only thing missing was Peter. But they had decided not to bring up that topic.

"As a matter of fact, I have something I need to tell you guys", Lily said and turned towards James. She took his hands in hers and looked into his eyes, "I'm pregnant. We are going to have another baby."

"Oh, my God! Are you serious?", asked James. He was so shocked, he could barely think. Lily laughed and nodded. "Oh, my God! This is the best news ever, Lily! Oh, I am so happy!", he said and hugged Lily. Sirius and Remus congratulated them and hugged them both. This news only made the day more perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the action ends. After this, its only going to be the Potter family, living a happy and perfect life.


End file.
